Martha Seif Simpson is a children's librarian and author of several picture books as well as resource books for librarians and educators. Since 2020, she has been active with the Association of Jewish Libraries. She chaired the 2022 and 2023 Sydney Taylor Book Award (STBA) Committees and served as the advisor for two more years. Currently, she is on the Sydney Taylor Manuscript committee, which recognizes an unpublished manuscript of Jewish fiction targeting ages 8-13. Martha has published four picture books - What Not to Give Your Mom on Mother’s Day, The Dreidel That Wouldn’t Spin: A Toyshop Tale of Hanukkah, Esther’s Gragger: A Toyshop Tale of Purim, and A Ring for a King: A Tale of King Solomon. Now retired from the Stratford Library, she volunteers in her synagogue library in Hamden, Connecticut.Lisa Hunt is a freelance illustrator working mainly in children's publishing for over 15 years. Before then, she worked as an in-house illustrator for several companies. Besides books, she has created illustrations for apps, advertising, greetings cards, games and merchandise. Originally from the East Yorkshire coast (in the U.K), she now lives in Greater London.

"As Seif Simpson and Hunt’s lively all-dialogue readaloud reveals, picky-eater battles don’t take a break for the holidays. Nosh, a patient koala, sets out to make latkes with friend Potchky, a ring-tailed lemur who raises one obstacle after another. Potchky pushes back about eating spuds ('The only potatoes I like are potato chips') and recoils at the color of oxidized potatoes ('That looks like rust'). But the koala carries on cooking, and once the lemur learns the story of Hanukkah, Potchky wonders whether Judah Maccabee might have enjoyed latkes, builds up enough bravery to take a bite, and is won over on the spot. Across spare, unfussy spreads, the stuffie-like critters convey the distinct personalities of a highly relatable odd-couple friendship. This battle of wills proves both funny and familiar. Back matter includes a science experiment and a recipe. Ages 4–6."—Publisher's Weekly"Two wildly different pals prepare for Hanukkah.Potchky, a ring-tailed lemur, is a fussy eater; pal Nosh, a koala, is a more willing gourmet. Nosh wants to make latkes (Potchky: 'What are latkes?' Nosh: 'Yummy potato pancakes') but Potchky whines: 'The only potatoes I like are potato chips.' Potchky agrees to help Nosh prepare the treats but objects to the color of the peeled potatoes. The lemur soon gives up on cooking altogether, preferring to set up the menorah and read a holiday book. Once the latkes are ready, Potchky refuses to taste them: 'They are brown and mucky, yucky, rusty, fried mud pies!' Nosh is patient, though, and when Potchky asks if Judah Maccabee, the hero of the Hanukkah story, ate latkes, Nosh answers: 'I do not know, Potchky. But I think he would be brave and try one.' Success! But will Potchky be courageous enough to try the sufganiyot Nosh has also prepared? Relying on comic book–like panels and speech bubbles, this tale depicts amusingly expressive animals, with Yiddish words for names. Warm tones enliven the page backgrounds. Gently soothing Nosh and dramatic Potchky have an appealing, opposites-attract dynamic, reminiscent of Arnold Lobel’s Frog and Toad. Readers will appreciate that Nosh is never pushy, giving Potchky plenty of space and autonomy. Though information on Hanukkah is appended (along with a recipe and science experiment), the story itself assumes some familiarity with the festivities.An engaging holiday tale that folds in a lesson on trying new things. (Picture book. 4-8)"—Kirkus Reviews